"My old man never missed a football game, and this team I was on was terrible," recalled his son. "I remember being on the sidelines. It was a muddy day. We were probably losing. The (Ohio State) fight song kept going off on (Ted Klammer's) horn. The coach said, 'Hey Klammer? Is that your dad?' I said, `Yeah.' He said, 'You're a lucky kid.'"

Randy Klammer said his father's entire life was defined by kindness and tireless advocacy for those unable to help themselves.

"Anybody can be a lawyer, but it takes a special person to be an advocate," he added. "He was the best father, the best husband, the best lawyer."

Ted Klammer, who had served as judge since 2003, came to the U.S. from Slovenia at age 5. He put himself through law school working at bars and factories.

The judge was well known for helping the less fortunate both on the bench and in his private life.

The judge's daughter, Mentor City Prosecutor Lisa Klammer, said her father was constantly telling his children to always be honest and always do the right thing.

"He had a rough and tough exterior, but we always knew he loved us," she said.

Lisa Klammer asked the hundreds of mourners in the pews -- including many fellow attorneys and numerous federal, state and local officials -- to cherish her father's memory by being better friends, colleagues and caregivers.

The Rev. Thomas Elsasser said the judge's robe next to his casket at the service was meant to symbolize not his power, but his kindness.

"It's not the robe that make the person. It's the person who makes the robe," said Elsasser. "The judge has left. But not his light."